A Smooth Start
by Always a Bookworm
Summary: Bakura had always hated Christmas, but he finds that he quite likes the custom of kissing under the mistletoe, which allows Malik to throw himself at him and to embarrass himself in front of everyone. Well, who said all relationships start smoothly? BxM


**Hello, everyone! This is just a (very) short, (very) fluffy Thiefshipping fic for Christmas. I hope you all like it; it was written over two days as I sat at my computer feeling very Christmassy watching the snow fall outside my window and pretending I was doing revision for my exams... **

**(And Skyward, your request will be up soon. I just had to write this random plotbunny- but as it has a lot of Ryou and Bakura in it, I'm sure you won't mind! xD)**

**Anyway, this is my first fic not written for the YGO contest in six months! (*faints*) Feels weird!**

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to be given Yu-Gi-Oh this year for Christmas, I have a nasty feeling that it isn't going to happen.**

**Enjoy the wonder that is BakuraxMalik! **

* * *

Bakura could never really say that his relationship with Malik Ishtar started out 'smoothly'.

That would be a bit of an exaggeration.

To be precise, Bakura and Malik's relationship started out with an argument, a Christmas party that Bakura _really _didn't want to go to, and copious amounts of teasing from pretty much everyone they knew.

And, of course, a very carefully placed piece of mistletoe.

(Which both Ryou and Yuugi would later fervently deny having anything to do with, whilst grinning 'innocently', but that's by the by.)

But if you're going to be really, _really_ exact, then it all started with that letter that came on Christmas Eve, clutched in Ryou's mitten as he entered the small house, cheeks pink with cold, which was emblazoned with the words:

* * *

_**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**_

Bakura eyed the card with disgust. "What on earth is that?" he asked, revolted, as Ryou placed the card (which was decorated with various angels, images of Santa Claus and Christmas Trees) on the mantelpiece. "It's an invitation," he replied, happily adjusting the lights on the Christmas Tree next to him. "Yuugi's having a bit of a Christmas party tonight, and we're invited."

Bakura snorted, and went back to his book. "No way in hell, Ryou. I am not going to that midget's celebration of a completely pointless holiday!"

Ryou sighed. His yami was a complete Scrooge, and proud of it. He had been very reluctant in helping Ryou at all with the decorations, he had done as little Christmas shopping as possible, and, above all, he had adamantly refused to go outside since it had (much to Ryou's delight) started snowing.

"I still don't understand what's wrong with Christmas," Ryou shook his head, wearily, sitting down on the sofa next to Bakura.

"Too much love and happiness," Bakura said, matter-of-factly. "It's sickening."

Ryou shoved him. "Yeah, right. I know you love it all really. Especially the snow," he said, teasingly.

Bakura glared at him. "That stuff is not natural!" he insisted. "It's cold, and wet, and… ugh!"

Ryou laughed, and started wrapping the presents that he had yet to finish that lay in a small pile on the table next to him. "Well, I don't care if you hate it, you're still coming to the Christmas party, and that's that."

Bakura rolled his eyes and groaned. His hikari could be really stubborn sometimes.

* * *

"Merry Christmas, Ryou! Merry Christmas, Bakura!" Yuugi greeted, happily, as they entered his house. "Come in, come in! I'm just finishing the decorations in here- you go into the living room."

"You go, Bakura, I'll just help Yuugi finish up in here," Ryou said, smiling, and bent down to pick up a box of baubles to hang in the hall.

Bakura grunted, and walked into the living room, where he was greeted with several more 'Merry Christmas's!' which he ignored, and slumped down next to Malik who was chatting to Atemu on the sofa.

"Hey, Kura!" Malik turned to him, eyes twinkling mischievously. "Ryou managed to make you come, huh? Didn't think he'd be able to do it!"

Bakura scowled. "I hate this stupid holiday," he grumbled as he eyed the people around the room, chatting and laughing. "It's ridiculous! There's way too many couples and lovey-dovey stuff; it's like Valentines Day, only without all the pink."

Malik laughed. "Still a total misery-guts when it comes to Christmas, I see. You know what your problem is, Bakura?"

The white haired boy eyed his friend, suspiciously. "No. What?"

"You're jealous of all those 'couples'," Malik replied, simply. "You're annoyed because you're jealous, because they're all really happy, and you're taking it out on Christmas."

Bakura gaped. "That is not true!" he said, eventually. "Yeah, so I may want someday what they have," he gestured at Honda and Otogi, who were currently engaged in a fierce kissing session in the corner. "But I'm not jealous! And I'm not taking it out on Christmas- I told you, I don't like Christmas because it's all so shallow, and the whole 'Season of Giving' idea? I don't like 'giving', Malik! I'm a thief! I like taking!"

Malik sighed, impatiently, and said, "But you must enjoy _some_ Christmas traditions, Bakura. How about… the food?"

Bakura shrugged. "It doesn't have to be Christmas to eat turkey."

"The music?"

"Carols are a waste of time."

"Receiving presents?"

"That's okay, but I always have to give things in exchange."

"The decorations?"

"…No comment."

"The atmosphere of happiness?"

"I think I already said that that just irritates me."

Malik rolled his eyes, and said, "Fine! But just because you hate Christmas, doesn't mean you should go around and try to ruin everyone else's Christmas. See, some of us actually enjoy it!" Malik stood up, angrily, before he turned back to Bakura to say, "And you know what, Bakura? So what if there's a lot of love around. You can't say this fucking world doesn't need it."

With that he turned and stormed off into the kitchen. Bakura was left, mouth agape, with several people watching him curiously.

"You really shouldn't have done that, Bakura," Atemu said, in a way that suggested he was pointing out the obvious. "You just upset your friend. At _Christmas_."

The nearest people to him, Anzu and Jou, nodded seriously. Bakura growled in frustration, and stamped across the room to talk to Marik, angry with Malik for being such a brat, angry at Ryou for dragging him here in the first place, but most of all angry at himself (and Christmas) for upsetting Malik.

Stupid Christmas.

* * *

Out in the hall, Yuugi turned to Ryou shaking his head, ruefully. "Your yami and Malik are arguing again. Those two are hopeless."

Ryou held up a small sprig of mistletoe that he had just found at the bottom of a box, and grinned, evilly, at Yuugi. "Well?"

Yuugi giggled, and climbed on a stool to attach it on the top of the doorframe that led into the living room.

"Ryou, I have a feeling this is going to be _fun_."

* * *

The party wore on, and Bakura had to put up with a lot from various people. Anzu, Yuugi and Jou all pointed out to him that he should really 'apologise' to Malik, Ryou just rolled his eyes, despairingly, and even Honda and Otogi broke apart long enough to shake their heads disapprovingly.

But it was Atemu's comment that he made about an hour later really struck home.

"When you two finally get together, wow, that is going to be one explosive relationship!"

"What?" Bakura had snapped, staring at the former Pharaoh, who just blinked in bewilderment.

"Well, it's pretty obvious, Bakura. You like him. Although you upset him (again) which probably means that he's not too fond of you right now-"

Bakura cut him off with, "What do you mean 'I like him'?"

Atemu rolled his eyes and laughed. "I'm not going to explain this to you if you haven't already figured it out, Bakura."

And he walked off, leaving Bakura completely stumped. Well, that was unexpected.

* * *

"Hey," Bakura said, quietly. Malik looked up at him from his position leaning against the doorframe, but ignored him.

Bakura gritted his teeth, but eventually managed to blurt out: "I'm-really-sorry-for-what-I-said-because-it-upset-you."

Malik's mouth twitched into a smile. "I suppose you're forgiven," he said. "I realise that it must be very difficult for heartless monsters like yourself to apologise," he finished, grinning.

Bakura scowled. "I'm going to let that slide, okay, Malik?"

Malik seemed about to reply, when he suddenly spotted something over the top of Bakura's head, sighed, and swore loudly.

Bakura frowned in confusion. "What?" he asked, twisting around to get a look at whatever Malik had seen. Nothing there.

"I'm talking about… _that_," Malik said, sounding, if Bakura didn't know better, highly embarrassed.

Bakura looked up to see a sprig of a green plant attached to the doorframe above their heads.

"A plant. What's wrong with a plant? Just shows that Yuugi's got a really weird taste in decorations," he said, shrugging.

"It's mistletoe, Bakura," Malik said, starting to blush. "It's a Christmas tradition." At Bakura's blank expression, Malik sighed and whispered, "Okay… look, just shut up for a second, will you?"

He leaned up and kissed Bakura gently on the lips.

Which was the one thing Bakura was _not_ expecting him to do.

(Not that he was complaining, mind you.)

Bakura wound his arms tightly around Malik's waist and deepened the kiss, ignoring the wolf-whistles and laughter coming from their friends in the next room. Malik fisted his hands in Bakura's hair and pressed himself up against the white haired yami, the kiss steadily becoming fierce and hungry.

"Not that I'm not really happy for you two, but you are kind of blocking the door," came Ryou's amused voice. The pair broke apart to see him standing in the hall patiently, eyes twinkling in mischief.

Malik had gone a very interesting shade of red.

"Um… Sorry," he muttered to a rather dazed Bakura (it was, as Atemu said later, the only time he'd ever seen Bakura speechless). "It's a tradition that Yuugi told me about, you have to kiss anyone you meet under the mistletoe."

"I never said you had kiss them on the lips, Malik," Yuugi pointed out, laughing. Malik's eyes widened in shock and embarrassment, and he shot Yuugi a glare which clearly read 'I-am-going-to-make-you-suffer-for-this'.

"You know, Malik," Bakura said, eventually, when he'd finally managed to sort out the swirl of thoughts that had filled his brain. "I think I've found one Christmas tradition that I quite like."

And before Malik could answer he had pulled him into the hall, slammed the door so that their friends couldn't see them anymore and was kissing him once more.

"So I suppose you're saying that I was right all along?" Malik said, smugly, against Bakura's lips.

Back in the living room, Ryou was listening at the door and he heard Bakura's annoyed: "No, that is not what I'm saying! I just pointed out that-"

He turned back to his friends and grinned. "Yep. They made it 30 seconds without arguing. I think that's a new record, don't you?"

No. Bakura's relationship with Malik Ishtar did not start out smoothly.

But no-one could say that it didn't stick, because years later they were still having the same argument as Malik forced Bakura into helping decorate the house they shared, until Bakura got bored and grabbed Malik around the waist to pull him into a kiss.

Bakura would never admit it to anyone, but maybe Christmas wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**Aw. So sappy. **

**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! *hums 'We wish you a Merry Christmas' and dances around in a Santa outfit* I hope you all have a great time and I'll see you all next year. Oh, and a special Christmas shout-out to all the people that put up with my crazy fics this year- you guys are awesome! **

**Seasons Greetings, from**

**Bookworm**


End file.
